Ice Cold
by The Sarcastic Polar Bear
Summary: He pulled her close, hoping to keep her warm. He closed his eyes and prayed that help would come. And soon. He didn't want them to die in the ice cold blizzard.
1. Chapter 1

**New story. This chapter may suck. I own nothing as always. It's a sad world.**

Olivia Benson sighed and grabbed her jacket. It was a cold winter, and they had to drive three hours, and the new report had just stated a snowstorm warning.

"Ready?" Elliot asked. Olivia nodded and followed after him into the car. She shivered slightly. It was cold, and her jacket wasn't necessarily heavy enough. Elliot looked at her worriedly.

"You warm enough?" he asked. Olivia nodded. "That jacket doesn't look warm enough." Olivia rolled her eyes.

"I'll be fine." She slid into the front passenger seat. Elliot turned on the vehicle, and turned the heat up. They began to long drive.

"_Freezing temperatures and heavy snowfall expected," _said the weather man on the radio. Olivia listened as the man forecaster rambled on about the expected blizzard.

"Hope we get there before this storm," Elliot noted.

Olivia leaned back against the seat and nodded. She tried to stifle a yawn. Unfortunately, she failed. Elliot chuckled. "Shut up, I'm tired," Olivia said. Her partner smirked. Olivia closed her eyes and rested her head against the headrest.

Ten minutes later, Elliot looked at her. She was sound asleep. He smiled. She looked adorable, with her mouth slightly open as she slept. He made a mental note not to tell her his thoughts. He didn't want to risk his life by calling her adorable.

Elliot squinted to see through the windshield. He turned the wipers on. "Damn snow," he mumbled softly. The windows were beginning to frost, and the thermometer on the car read ten degrees. He turned the heat up slightly.

They had two hours and thirty minutes left to drive in the cold weather. He pulled into a Starbucks and quietly ordered two coffees. Olivia shivered slightly at the cold air, but didn't wake.

Five minutes later, Olivia had woken up and was sleepily sipping at her coffee. "How far?" she asked. Elliot snickered.

"What?" Olivia demanded.

"You sound like my kids when we go vacation," he teased. Olivia rolled her eyes and took a large drink of her steaming hot beverage.

"You're comparing me to your kids?" she asked. Elliot smiled.

"Yep," he taunted. Olivia rolled her eyes again. Unable to fall asleep again, she was quiet for the next twenty minutes.

"It's snowing harder," she noted. Elliot frowned when he realized the truth of her words. He shrugged.

"Don't worry," he said.

"I'm not worried." Olivia fingered the buttons on her jacket in boredom. "I just wonder why the hell we have to make this three hour car drive in this weather." She waved her hand at the window, gesturing to the falling snow.

"They called us," Elliot said simply.

"This is gonna be the worst snowstorm we've had in years," Olivia pointed. She peered at the thermometer. "It's eight degrees out already. And it's getting later. It's only gonna get colder."

Elliot cursed under his breath when a large truck nearly rear-ended them. "Roads are getting slick," he said.

Thirty minutes later, there was the sound of tires skidding and a horn honking. Olivia opened her mouth, but there was the unmistakeable sound of metal against metal, and everything went black.

Elliot was the first to open his eyes. He blinked. Memories began to come flooding back to him. They had been struck by a semi. The windshield was cracked, and through the heavy snow on it, Elliot could see the smashed hood. His eyes traveled to his left.

"Liv?" he called, putting his hand on her shoulder and shaking it gently. No answer. "Liv!" He checked for a pulse, heaving a huge sigh of relief when he found it.

Olivia's shirt had a small blood stain on the lower right side. "Come on, Liv, wake up," Elliot begged. He smoothed her hair back. "Liv," he said softly.

Olivia flinched slightly. Her eyelids flickered open. Elliot sighed in relief. "What happened?" Olivia groaned, wincing slightly.

"A semi hit us," Elliot said. "Are you alright?" Olivia sat up straighter and put her hand to her side.

"My side hurts," she grunted. Elliot helped her unbuckle her seat belt.

Elliot pulled out his cell phone. He groaned when he saw that it was broken in half. "Is your phone broken, too?"

Olivia dug hers out to find it broken as well. Their radio was shattered. They had no way to call for help.

"How are we going to-" she trailed off.

"I don't know," Elliot sighed. He looked at the car heater, to find it broken. The car had cooled down a good deal.

"We're gonna freeze," Olivia sighed.

"I think there's a blanket in the back," he said. He peered into the backseat and climbed into it. "We'll have to share it."

Olivia rose her eyebrows. She decided she'd rather have to be curled under a shared blanket than freeze to death. Elliot helped her into the backseat. He gently touched her side. Olivia flinched slightly.

"Can I look at that?" he asked. Olivia shook her head.

"No."

Elliot sighed. "Please?"

"Fine," Olivia mumbled. She allowed Elliot to roll up her shirt and jacket enough to look at her wound. He cringed slightly. "What?"

"It looks pretty deep," Elliot said softly. He rolled Olivia's shirt back down. "Just keep pressure on it. Hopefully somebody called for help."

Olivia put her hands on her side and pressed down. It caused the injury to burn, but she knew how important it was to apply as much pressure as she could to control the bleeding.

Elliot draped the blanket around her shoulders. It was just big enough for both of them to be wrapped in, their shoulders resting against each other's.

They sat in silence and waited. Ten minutes went to twenty, twenty went to forty five, forty five rolled into an hour. Olivia was still slowly bleeding. It had slowed since it had happened, but was not near stopping.

Their car was hidden from view, in a ditch. The temperature was slowly sinking. Help could take hours.

**This story should be around 5 chapters long. Don't hurt me!**


	2. Chapter 2

**15 REVIEWS? You are so amazing! Here's chapter 2! Enjoy, even though I don't own anyone.**

Olivia shivered slightly. It had been another hour, and they had seen no sign of rescue. It was getting colder.

Elliot pulled the blanket tighter around them. "We'll get of here," he said for what seemed like the millionth time.

"I know," Olivia mumbled. She wrapped her jacket more tightly around her slim body. She winced as she saw that she was still bleeding from the gash on her side.

Elliot looked at her concernedly. He was worried about her. She was shivering and he could tell that she was in pain.

"You okay?" he asked. Olivia nodded slowly.

"Yeah." She pressed down more firmly on her side.

"How's your side? Still bleeding?" Elliot asked. Olivia nodded. "Does it still hurt?" Olivia nodded again, knowing that she couldn't lie to him.

"It'll be fine," she insisted. "I'll probably need a few stitches once we get out of this." If we get out, she added mentally.

Elliot could hear the wind blowing louder. The windshield was cracked. Snow had dropped into the front seat. It had been steadily growing colder for the past hour. And he knew that it was only likely to get colder and colder. If they weren't rescued, both of them would die.

Had the thermometer been working, it would have read minus three degrees. They had no way to tell, but Elliot and Olivia could feel that the blizzard warning they had heard earlier was very, very true.

Elliot could feel Olivia shivering. He himself was shivering, though not as violently. Olivia scooted closer to him.

"It's so damn cold," she muttered. Elliot's arm was around her shoulders, keeping the blanket in place. He instinctively tightened his grip somewhat.

"I know somebody must have seen our car crash," he said.

"There weren't very many people on the road," Olivia sighed. "Just the semi and somebody else. But they were pretty far off."

She was right. People had tried to avoid going on the roads to avoid what had happened to them. The only person who knew what had happened was the driver of the semi, who had managed not to tip into the ditch and had driven off.

"Somebody's bound to drive through," Elliot assured.

"Maybe in a few days," Olivia scoffed. "We'd be frozen by then." Elliot sighed.

"I don't know how cold it is," he admitted. "But it's been getting colder and colder for the past couple of hours."

Olivia shifted slightly, trying to get more comfortable. The action was worthless. She was getting stiff from being in the same position, and her toes were growing numb. Her arms and legs felt like they had been frozen, and her side continued to throb painfully.

Another gust of wind blew some more snow into the front seat. Olivia was beginning to wonder if the entire car would be full of snow by the time night came.

Night. Olivia cringed. She didn't even know if they would still be alive by nightfall. They could both die of hypothermia, or she could bleed to death. She shook her head slightly, trying to stop herself from thinking those thoughts.

"I hope we get out of here before night," she mumbled. Her voice was soft. Elliot rubbed her shoulder, trying to comfort her.

"I do, too, Liv," he said. "And hopefully we will." He was trying to remain optimistic, but it was becoming harder and harder.

"I don't even know what time it is," Olivia said. "Night could be right around the corner." It felt like she was saying that death was around the corner. In a way, she felt like it was true. Night would bring heavier snowfall, and a temperature drop, and they were stuck in a car with no heat other than a blanket and leaning against each other.

She tried to think of some positives, but the only ones she could find were that they had a blanket, albeit a thin one, and each other. She added the facts that they had no food, no water, no way of contact anybody, and they were miles from home to the negatives.

Another hour and a half went by. The sky was beginning to darken. It continued to grow colder and colder. Olivia pressed herself against Elliot.

"You okay?" he worried.

"I'm just cold," she said. Elliot wrapped his other arm around her. She started to protest, but enjoyed the feeling. She snuggled deeper into his side. "Thanks," she murmured. Elliot nodded.

"You're welcome." He moved slightly closer to her. He heard Olivia try to stifle a yawn, unsuccessfully. "Sleepy?"

"I'm fine," Olivia insisted, trying not to yawn again. She fought to stay awake. Twenty minutes later, Elliot felt her head drop against his shoulder. She was fast asleep. Her hands had dropped, so he slipped his arms around her waist and pressed down on her wound. She whimpered slightly. He mentally cursed himself for hurting her.

"Shh," he soothed. He could feel her shaking from the cold and pulled her closer. He nearly fell asleep, but tried to fight it. Eventually sleep took over, and he slept, Olivia in his arms.

It was still dark when Olivia woke. She jumped slightly. She was in Elliot's arms in the back of a car. She remembered the events slowly. An ache in her side wouldn't will her to forget. Elliot opened his eyes.

"You alright, Liv?" he asked, noticing that she had paled and the blood stain on her shirt was more prominent, despite having nearly stopped bleeding. She forced a nod and put her hand to her side. She pushed herself up with the other. The blanket fell off of her shoulders. Elliot sat up and draped it around her, beginning to slip out of it himself.

"No," Olivia said firmly. She wrapped the other end around Elliot. "It's even colder today." Both of them shivered and moved closer to each other.

Two more cold hours passed by slowly. Neither of them got any warmer. Rather, they experienced the opposite. Olivia shuddered violently. Elliot tightened his hold on her.

"I'm starting to think we won't get out of this," Olivia said softly. Elliot put his hand on her back comfortingly, but didn't say anything. She leaned against him, and they tried to warm each other.

The temperature had stayed at minus three degrees for around an hour, and it had dropped a frigid minus six, unbeknownst to the freezing detectives huddled in the backseat.

"I wonder how cold it is?" Olivia wondered, pulling her thin jacket closer around herself. Elliot shrugged.

"No idea," he said. Olivia shivered and coughed softly. Elliot frowned. "You aren't getting sick, are you?"

Olivia shook her head, but sneezed. Elliot sighed and placed the back of his hand against her forehead. Her skin was chilled from the cold, but her forehead was slightly warm. "You're getting a fever," he mumbled.

"I'll be fine," Olivia murmured. She curled her toes inside her shoes. "Damn," she muttered.

"What?"

"I think I'm getting frostbite."

"I think I am, too," Elliot said, cringing. Both of them shivered violently and clung to each other like they were clinging on to a lifeline.

An hour dragged by. Three hours passed. Both of them were growing weary, but they knew that sleeping was a dangerous idea, something they shouldn't have done the first time.

Olivia tried to stifle a yawn.

"We need to stay awake," Elliot said, trying not to yawn.

"It's getting colder," Olivia noted. Elliot nodded.

"I know."

Olivia sneezed once more. She pulled the blanket as tightly around her as she could manage. Elliot started to unbutton his jacket to drape around her, but she shook her head firmly.

"No, El, you wear it," she commanded. Elliot sighed and re-buttoned it. She scowled. "Surely somebody saw us. I'm beyond pissed that nobody's come."

"Just don't attack them when they do come," Elliot teased, lightening the moment. Olivia poked him in the ribs.

"I'm too damn cold to attack anybody."

Elliot chuckled. Olivia heaved a huge yawn. "Try to stay awake," Elliot warned. Olivia nodded lazily.

"I know."

"Wanna play a game?"

"El, just because we're snuggled up and are in the backseat-" Olivia smirked mockingly.

"No, not that," Elliot said, smirking. "I spy?"

Olivia rolled her eyes. "Why?" she whined.

"You sound like a two year old when you do that."

"Shut up."

"We just need something to keep us awake, Liv."

"I know, I know."

"Okay then. I spy something white."

"White? Seriously, El? Snow." Elliot scowled.

"I spy something black," Olivia hinted.

"The seats?" Elliot suggested. Olivia shook her head. "The car?"

"El, I can't see the outside of the car."

"But it's black!"

"I know. Guess again."

"My jacket?"

"Nope."

"I give up."

"That easily?" Olivia scoffed. "The floor mat." Elliot pouted. "Now who's the two year old?" Olivia teased.

"I spy something gray," Elliot said.

"My jacket."

"How'd you know?"

"It's the only gray thing in here, El. You're not very good at this game, you know."

"Shut up."

"Then how can I play?"

"Fine."

"I spy something blue," Olivia challenged.

"The sky?"

"Is that all you got, El? And the sky's probably black by now."

"My shirt?"

"You have a green shirt on."

"Damn."

"Don't blame me," Olivia said with a shrug. In doing so, she bumped her wound, sending another wave of pain traveling down her side and making her flinch.

"You alright?"

"I'm okay. Out of guesses?"

"No."

"Then keep going."

"Your shirt?"

"No."

"But it's blue!" Elliot argued.

"Yeah, but that isn't it."

"What else is blue?" Elliot groaned. "I give up!"

"You seriously don't know the color of your own eyes?" Olivia blushed slightly as she blurted out the answer, not wanting to be questioned her motives for choosing his eyes.

"Ohh, well, um..." Elliot trailed off. Olivia snickered.

"This is getting boring," she said. "You suck at this game." Elliot glared and stuck his tongue out at her. "Put that back in your mouth. It may freeze."

Elliot rolled his eyes. They kept each other awake over the next two hours by talking about random things.

The temperature continued to drop at a steady and rapid pace. Olivia could feel her head growing heavy from her cold and she felt tired and achy. She sneezed three times. Elliot once again placed his hand to her forehead.

"You're getting warmer," he said worriedly.

"I'm so damn cold," Olivia groaned. She curled up against Elliot tightly. He pulled her closer to his body.

She lazily rested her head on his broad chest. "I'm tired."

"Try not to go to sleep," Elliot commanded gently. Olivia nodded sleepily.

"I know," she yawned. "I'm just so sleepy."

Elliot rubbed her back. "I know, I am too. But just hang on."

Olivia was quiet for another hour, and Elliot feared that she had fallen asleep. "You still awake?"

"Yes," Olivia murmured tiredly. "Still awake." She yawned, followed by a loud cough. "Ugh," she moaned.

Elliot rubbed soothing circles on her back. "It's alright," he whispered. Olivia leaned her head tiredly against his shoulder.

Both of them made them inevitable mistake of dozing off, but only for a few minutes. Olivia shot up at a pain in her abdomen. Elliot opened his eyes to see her doubled over in pain, clutching her side.

"Liv!" He sat up straighter and slid next to her. "Are you okay?"

Olivia forced a tiny nod. "I'm fine," she strained through gritted teeth. Elliot put his arm around her shoulders. "My...side.."

"Shhh," Elliot whispered, pulling her close.

"It hurts," Olivia grunted, curling up tightly, holding her side in agony. Elliot gently removed her hand from her side and rolled up her shirt, wincing when he saw the blood.

He rolled her shirt back down and placed his own hands on her injury and pressed down. Olivia closed her eyes tightly. "Owww..."

Elliot ran one of his hands through her hair comfortingly. "I know," he whispered. "But I need to keep pressure on it, okay?" Olivia nodded and Elliot returned his hand to Olivia's bleeding abdomen. He prayed that help was on it's way.


	3. Chapter 3

**New chapter! I own nobody and nothing.**

Elliot sighed. It had grown even colder, and they were still curled up in the backseat of the car. Olivia sneezed. Elliot pressed down more firmly on her side, causing her to let out a soft whimper of pain. He felt guilty.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. Olivia nodded weakly. She felt like she was about to fall asleep. She coughed and dug her head deeper into Elliot's chest.

"It's alright," she murmured, fighting against sleep. "I'm tired..."

"I know, Liv, but try to stay awake for me," Elliot said gently.

"I'll try." Olivia forced her eyelids open and shivered violently before sneezing and clutching her side in pain.

Elliot quickly unbuttoned his jacket and peeled it off. Olivia shook her head. "El, you keep it." He ignored her protest and draped it around her. He shuddered at the cold, but pulled the blanket more tightly around himself.

Olivia started to pull the jacket off, but Elliot shook his head and tightened it around her. Olivia sighed softly and coughed.

"Liv, you need to stay warm."

"So do you."

"But you're sick. And injured."

Olivia grumbled, but kept the jacket on. Elliot helped her button it. "El, you really need to put it back on."

Elliot shook his head. "You need it more." Olivia closed her eyes again, but stopped herself from falling asleep.

"I need to sleep," she murmured. "So tired." Her eyes slid shut.

Elliot gently shook her shoulder. She didn't open her eyes. "Liv, wake up," he called gently. She mumbled something incoherent and forced her eyes open.

"Sorry..."

"Just try really hard, okay? If you fall asleep, you may freeze to death," he coaxed. Olivia blinked and yawned.

"I'll try."

"Good," Elliot said, pulling her even closer. He was alarmed when Olivia suddenly moaned. "Liv?"

"Oww..."

He gently ran a hand through her hair. "Shh. I know it hurts, but just hang in there, okay?"

Olivia clung to his hand as she sat upright and coughed loudly. It scared both her and Elliot. It sounded like it came from deep in her chest. Elliot rested his hand on her back and rubbed small circles on it.

"Shh..." he whispered. "Just take deep breaths." Olivia nodded shakily and forced herself to inhale and exhale slowly until her coughing ceased.

She shuddered. Her head was heavy, her chest and ears were bothering her, and her side pulsed with a throbbing pain. She was shivering violently, and she felt a pang of guilt when she saw Elliot without his jacket on. "El," she coughed. "T-take your jacket."

"No, Liv, you need it," he insisted.

"Please, El," Olivia begged. "Take it, I'll be okay."

Elliot sighed. "Don't be so stubborn," he said. "You're sick. You need warmth more than I need it." His voice was firm, but gentle at the same time.

Olivia huffed a breath, causing her to cough again. She sneezed again, and closed her eyes. She felt Elliot pressing his hand to her forehead again.

"Damn," he mumbled. "You're burning up." He grabbed Olivia and pulled her against his chest again, placing his hands over her injury.

"I'm f-freezing," Olivia stammered, her voice trembling. "You have to be colder. Just take the damn jacket."

Elliot had to smirk slightly. She still had her Benson stubbornness inside of her, and that alone brought a glint of hope in the fact that they would be rescued before it was too late.

Time continued to pass. Again, nightfall was drawing nearer and nearer, bringing forth even colder temperatures and more snow. "Liv, you still awake?"

Olivia nodded weakly. "Your poor, sick, injured partner wants to sleep." Elliot smiled slightly and tucked a strand of Olivia's hair behind her ear.

"I know, but my poor, sick, injured partner needs to try to stay awake."

Olivia snuggled into his chest. "I'm trying." Elliot rested his chin on top of her head. Olivia shuddered from the cold and the pain. She could feel Elliot shivering against her. "We really need out of here," she mumbled.

"I know we do," Elliot said. "It's getting too cold for us to survive."

Olivia flinched. "Yeah."

"I'm getting worried about you," Elliot admitted. "That wound still hasn't stopped bleeding, and you're sick."

"I kind of noticed," Olivia scoffed. She winced. "It wasn't that hard to tell." Elliot kept one hand over Olivia's side, and gently ran his other hand through her hair.

"You're gonna be okay," he said softly. Olivia closed her eyes, unable to keep them open any longer. Elliot gently shook her shoulder.

"I can't stay awake," she murmured, not opening her eyes. "Please, El." Elliot sighed.

"I'll wake you up every few minutes," he reluctantly said. He watched as Olivia fell into a deep sleep, and kicked himself, knowing how dangerous it was. But either way, he felt guilty.

After a few minutes went by, he softly shook Olivia. She murmured something incoherent and fell asleep again.

Eight minutes later, he was about to wake her again when she suddenly whimpered. "Liv?" he whispered. "You alright?"

"No.." she mumbled. "Don't..." she clutched Elliot's shirt tightly and buried her face into his chest. Elliot felt something wet touch his shirt, and he realized that Olivia was crying.

"Liv, wake up," he said softly. He shook her lightly.

"El..." she murmured.

"I'm right here," Elliot said soothingly, stroking her back. "Wake up for me, okay?" Olivia slowly opened her eyes. They were filled with tears.

Elliot continued to stroke her back. "What's the matter, honey?" he asked gently. Olivia blinked and shook her head.

"N-nothing..."

"Liv, talk to me," Elliot pleaded. "What were you dreaming about?"

Olivia closed her eyes and shuddered. "Gitano," she finally said. Elliot furrowed his brow.

"He's dead, Liv," he whispered. Olivia nodded shakily.

"I know. I haven't dreamed about him in years." Her voice was faint and shaky. "I-I dreamed that he killed you when he had that gun to your head." Elliot pulled her against his chest and hugged her, stroking her hair affectionately.

Olivia rested her head on his chest. "I'm sorry," she murmured.

"For what?" Elliot placed his left hand over Olivia's injury again and stroked her hair with his free one. Olivia shrugged.

"For being so weak."

"You're not weak, Liv," he said. Olivia sighed and wrapped Elliot's jacket more tightly around her body, feeling guilty once again.

"El, _please _wear your coat," she begged. Elliot shook his head in response.

"Liv, you need to keep warm."

"You can't freeze your ass off just to help me," Olivia insisted. She started to unbutton the wool jacket, but Elliot grabbed her hand and shook his head again.

"No," he said firmly. "You're keeping it on." Olivia groaned but let go of the button.

"Fine," she groaned. Elliot nodded, satisfied. Both of them trembled from the cold and snuggled closer to each other.

Olivia felt weak all over, and she could feel herself falling asleep. She was too exhausted to fight it, and she let darkness take over.

Elliot felt her go limp in his arms. "Liv, wake up." He shook her slightly. No response. He shook her more firmly, and her arm dangled limply at her side. Panic rose in him when he realized that she was unconscious.

He pulled her close, hoping to keep her warm. He closed his eyes and prayed that help would come. And soon. He didn't want them to die in the ice cold blizzard.

**I know, a short one. I think two more chapters are to come! Since chapter one got 15 reviews and chapter two got 17, think you guys can give me 19 this time?**


	4. Chapter 4

**This is a very short chapter, but I hope you like it, and thanks so much for all the review. This is my most popular story yet! **

Elliot gazed at Olivia. She was still unconscious. She was as pale as a sheet. The only thing that told Elliot that she was alive was the rise and fall of her chest. "Come on, Liv, wake up," he whispered, stroking her hair. But it had been an hour, and she hadn't woken up.

He knew that he definitely had frostbite, and he was shivering violently due to his lack of a jacket. As much as he knew that he needed it, Olivia needed it more.

He also knew that they needed help now more than ever, and it was beginning to dawn on him that he would possible have to leave the car and hike out in search of assistance. But he wasn't leaving Olivia behind. Yet the risk of taking her with him was dangerous; she could die if she became colder.

But if they didn't get help, they could both die. He sighed softly and gently moved Olivia to the side. He leaned into the front seat and managed to pry some glass off of the already broken window, only to reveal that the piles of snow surrounding them would hinder any way of escaping the vehicle.

He shivered and returned to Olivia's side, pulling her into his lap and holding her tightly. "You gotta wake up for me," he said softly. Olivia didn't stir. "Come on, Liv, please wake up, honey," he pleaded, shaking her gently. No response. He placed his fingers to her wrist. Her pulse was weak, but it was steady. Her face was warm, but her body was cold.

If she died right then and right there, he would never be able to forgive himself. He shook his head and tried to clear his thoughts. _She won't die, help will come soon, _he told himself.

His own fingers and toes were numb, but he didn't care. All he cared about was Olivia. She had to be alright. She was tough, she could make it.

If only help would come. His eyes slid shut and he groaned softly. They had been in the car for at least two days, and it only continued to grow colder by the hour.

Somebody had to know that they were missing. Or did they? Hadn't someone, anyone at all, seen the accident? Or had it slipped by unnoticed, and not a single person knew what had happened? Surely assistance would have come to rescue them by now had somebody reported it.

Unbeknownst to him, the snow had stopped falling, but he could hear the wind raging somewhere above the shattered car. The front seat was soaked from the melted snow, and several clumps of snow piled up in a handful of places.

An hour dragged by, and he jumped slightly in surprise when he heard a soft buzzing sound fill the air. He listened closely. It seemed to come from under the driver's seat. He looked down to see a blue-toned light. His eyes widened. He poked his foot under the seat and fished out what he had suspected- a cell phone. He couldn't help but feel stupid as he read the caller ID on Lizzie's cell phone- Kathy. He quickly flipped it open.

"Kathy," he panted.

"_No, Dad, it's me."_ Lizzie. _"I left my phone in your car, right?"_ Elliot nodded, despite the fact that she couldn't see him.

"You did," Elliot said. "Listen, I need to use it. Liv and I were in an accident."

"_Are you okay?"_ his daughter gasped.

"I'm fine, but Olivia's unconscious. I'm so glad you called, or I wouldn't have known that there was a phone in the car. I'm surprised that it didn't break." He bid farewell and hung up, before dialing three numbers- 911. He felt a wave of relief as he pleaded for a rescue. They were getting saved.

He trembled from the cold. He had no feeling in his hands or feet at all, but he held Olivia closely to his body, trying to give her whatever warmth he could provide.

It took several hours, but finally, the faint, distant sound of a siren filled the air. He had to strain his ears to hear it, but it drew closer and closer. Looking toward the window, he squinted, and could faintly see a flickering red light. He sighed in relief.

The rescue was far from immediate. He was nearly asleep by the time the doors were finally opened. He reluctantly allowed them to take Olivia from him and help him out of the vehicle. He shook his head when a paramedic tried to inspect him, and climbed into the ambulance after Olivia.

"She's lost a lot of blood," a female paramedic barked. She hooked a monitor to Olivia and looked at Elliot. "How long has she been out?"

"A few hours," Elliot sighed. He reached forward and gently clasped Olivia's pale hand, brushing his thumb across her knuckles. He brought her hand to his lips and tenderly kissed her knuckles. He knew, he just knew, that she was going to be alright. She was tough, she was Olivia Benson.

Despite a blanket being draped around his shoulders, he shivered violently. It seemed to take an eternity of slipping and sliding across the icy roads until they reached the hospital. The doors flew open, and he hurried to keep up with the gurney.

He was stopped by one of the doctors, who commanded him to stay in the waiting room. He paced back and forth for minutes before collapsing into a seat. The ticking of the clock seemed to grow louder and louder with every click. _Tick- tock... tick- tock..._

Never before had waiting seemed so difficult. Every minute seemed to last an hour. He saw that it was four in the morning. He saw a doctor making his way toward him, but as he stood up, an unfamiliar feeling swelled up inside him, and he blacked out seconds before hitting the cold tile floor.

**Oh noes! El passed out! Hey, you know what they say. Reviews can wake up the unconscious! Okay, well, maybe note. But hey, it has a ring to it. Since you awesome peoples gave me 24 reviews on the last chapter, can you give me 26 this time? Pwease? (holds up adorable puppy)**


	5. Chapter 5

**New chapter. Thanks for all the reviews! I only own nothing!**

Elliot opened his eyes to hear a steady beeping sound. He blinked and looked around. He was surrounded by blank white walls, and he knew right away that he was in a hospital. But he suddenly remembered Olivia. Where was she? Was she alright?

A doctor walked into the room. "I'm glad you're awake."

"Where's Olivia?" he demanded.

"Olivia Benson?" the redhead doctor asked. Elliot nodded, cringing as the movement introduced a throbbing headache,

"Yes, where is she?" he asked. The doctor winced, and Elliot's eyes widened.

"One of her kidneys was damaged. She had internal bleeding. She'll need a kidney donor." Elliot's heart stopped.

"I'll donate," he said without a second thought.

"We'll need to run tests."

"I don't care," Elliot sighed. "Just do it." He barely breathed as the tests were run. Every minute seemed to take an eternity. When at last he was being prepared for surgery, he sent a silent prayer to heaven, praying that everything would be okay. Not for him, but for Olivia. If something were to go wrong and he died, he wouldn't care if it meant Olivia would be okay. But if Olivia were to die, his Liv, he wouldn't be able to live.

. . . . . .

Hours later, he groaned in his sleep. He forced his eyes open, and squeezed them as a bright light stung them.

"Dad!" Maureen gasped, standing up. "I'm glad you're up." What was she doing here? Then he remembered that she was his second emergency contact after Olivia.

"Liv?" he mumbled. Maureen smiled slightly and sat back down.

"She'll be fine, Dad," she promised. "But she'll be asleep for a while. I just now asked about her." Elliot let out an immense sigh of relief.

"Thank God," he breathed. "I was so worried about her."

"That was great of you, Dad," Maureen marveled. She smirked slightly. "Mom wasn't that happy, but she cooled off."

Elliot rolled his eyes slightly. Kathy had never liked Olivia. He knew how much she envied her, worrying that Elliot spent more time with Olivia than her. Elliot would never admit it, but the second he had laid eyes on Olivia, he knew that she was the one.

"What'd she say?" he asked, earning a shrug from his eldest daughter.

"She just carried on saying you wouldn't do it for her."

"She's not the same blood type as me," he pointed. Maureen nodded and laughed softly. "So Liv _will _be okay?" He needed to see her to have solid proof that she was going to be alright. But she was Olivia Benson, she was the strongest woman he had ever met.

"She'll be perfectly fine. But the doctor said to tell you that she'll need to have somebody keep an eye on her once she's discharged."

"I'll do it." The words were out of his mouth without a second thought. "She won't like it, but she's staying with me. Or I'll stay with her."

"You didn't have much luck, either. You had hypothermia, too."

Hypothermia? When had he been told that Olivia had hypothermia? He decided that it was stupid of him not to already know, considering how frigid it had been. "Who was worse off?"

Maureen thought for a second. "Liv probably had it worse, but you definitely didn't have it easy, either. It's a good thing Lizzie left her phone in your car."

"Yeah, or else we'd be dead in the car."

"Probably. They said it had been knocked into a deep ditch."

"I wanna see Liv," Elliot said suddenly. He pushed himself into a sitting position. Maureen gently pushed him back down.

"Not now," she said. "You need to rest. You just donated a kidney, you know. You aren't about to get up and run down to Olivia's room yet."

"Too sore to run," Elliot said simply. "I'd walk." Maureen rolled her eyes, but smiled at how much her father cared for Olivia. Sometimes she wondered how the two of them didn't realize how much chemistry lay between them. It was much more obvious than she had ever seen in her parents.

Elliot arched a brow. "What's funny?" he demanded.

"Nothing. I'm just wondering why you and Olivia haven't gotten together yet," she teased. Elliot's mouth dropped in shock. Was it that obvious that he loved her?

"We're just friends!"

"Yeah, sure, Dad."

"I'm serious. There's nothing going on between the two of us!"

"Then make something happen."

. . . . . .

A gentle beeping sound reached Olivia's ears. She squeezed her eyes shut tightly and moaned softly. _Where am I? _she thought.

"Nice to see you awake," Alex commented, causing her to open her eyes. Olivia looked around frantically, staring at the blank white walls surrounding her, becoming aware of the dull pain that lingered in every ounce of her body.

"W-what happened?" she stammered. "Why am I in a hospital?"

"Do you remember the car accident?" Alex asked. Olivia nodded slowly, and realization struck her. They had been rescued from the cold.

"I guess they finally got off their asses and helped us?" she wondered.

"Yep. You were out like a light when they found you."

"Elliot?" she gasped, trying to sit up, wincing as she moved suddenly.

"He'll be okay."

"Where is he?" she demanded. "He's not hurt?"

"He kinda donated a kidney to you," Alex said softly. "But you'll both be alright."

Olivia stared up at the ceiling. She hadn't been lying when she said she'd donate one to him, and she would have thought that with his luck, he'd be the one needing a kidney, not her. Had he really done that... for her? "Did he really?"

"That's what the doctors told me. I went to check on him."

"I wanna see him."

"He's okay," Alex repeated. "Maureen's with him."

"I wanna be there, too," Olivia whined. "My head may be pounding but I wanna see him." She brushed her messy hair out of her face. "Now," she added. Alex shook her head firmly.

"You need rest. You 're sick, and you have seven stitches in your side, a concussion, cracked ribs, and god knows what else."

Olivia shook her head stubbornly. "I need to see him," she insisted. "I wanna thank him," she added softly.

"You can thank him later," Alex said. "You're not supposed to be up and about right now." She gently patted the brunette's shoulder. Olivia rolled her eyes.

"How long do I have to stay in this dump?" she asked, changing the subject. Alex shrugged her shoulders.

"A couple days probably."

"How the hell am I supposed to stay here for two days?" Olivia demanded. "I can't put up with these fat nurses running around when they don't know a damn thing about what to do." Alex chuckled. "What?" Olivia asked. "It's true. I hate hospitals."

. . . . . .

Maureen had had no luck in convincing her father that he couldn't leave the room to see Olivia yet. "Dad, just wait a few hours at least," she begged.

Elliot sighed heavily, knowing that he wasn't winning the argument. "Did they say when Liv and I are getting discharged?"

"In about two days," Maureen answered. Elliot sighed again, knowing that the thoughts racing in his mind were the same ones dancing in Olivia's. They shared a mutual hatred of hospitals, whether they were patients or not.

"How about now?'" he tried. His blonde daughter rolled her eyes. "Ask," he demanded. "Or I will."

"You can't just go wandering on home today. You need to wait a couple days and take it easy. You're not gonna go rushing out of here and go back to work tomorrow."

Elliot stubbornly crossed his arms over his chest. "Says who?" he asked. All he received in response was a Stabler eye roll.

"Now I wonder how Olivia puts up with it," she mocked. Elliot groaned, clearly seeing that he wasn't about to get his own way.

All he wanted was assurance that she would be alright. He had to see it to believe it. Weariness began to swarm inside him, and he was unable to prevent his eyes from sliding shut, sleep capturing him.

. . . . . .

The following morning, he was finally allowed to see Olivia. He groaned when a nurse walked in with a wheelchair, but he would do anything, anything at all, to see her.

He sighed when he finally saw her. She was asleep, and he hated to see her there. She didn't belong in a hospital. He shook his head, trying to assure himself that she was merely sleeping and not in some deep coma that she would never wake up from.

He sat in the stiff white chair by her bedside and carefully took her hand into his. Her eyelid twitched slightly, but she didn't open her eyes.

Mere words could never describe the worry that had built up inside him when he woke without Olivia by his bedside. To have his final memory of his Liv be of her laying unconscious in his arms would have shattered him.

She suddenly let out a faint whimper, furrowing her eyebrow in her sleep. He hesitated, then reached toward her.

"Shh," he whispered, smoothing her hair back. Why was he touching her this way? For the twelve and a half years they had been partners, they always tried to avoid intimate gestures. They would give each other the comforting pat on the back or shoulder, but now the touch barrier was broken, and he found himself wanting to feel her in his arms, radiating him.

Olivia's eyelids slowly fluttered open at the gentle touch. She blinked, trying to clear her vision. "El..." she mumbled, her voice faltering as she closed her eyes, still exhausted.

"Yeah," he said softly. "It's me." Olivia didn't say anything, but smiled slightly. There was no real need for words, he was right here with her, and that was all that mattered.

She suddenly glared at him. "You donated a kidney." Mild accusation lingered in her tone. Elliot shrugged innocently.

"Yeah. I did." He leaned back against the hard white plastic of the chair he sat in.

"If I could, I'd donate it right back." Elliot let out a soft chuckle.

"I wouldn't let you do that." He rested his elbow against the bed, focusing on his partner, his baby blue eyes locking with her deep drown ones.

"Thank you," Olivia whispered.

"For what?"

"You saved my life, El. If you hadn't of been with me in the car..." Her voice trailed off, and he rested his hand on her shoulder.

"You're welcome. You don't need to thank me, Liv."

"Yes, I do." Olivia looked directly into his eyes. "You donated a kidney to me. How can you expect me to not thank you for that?"

"I told you I'd give you a kidney." The memory brought a smile to both of their faces as they remembered the day they had told each other they'd donate a kidney.

Flashback:

"_You know, we've been partners for all these years, and I don't even know your blood type," Olivia said as she pressed the button on the elevator._

"_A positive," he said. Olivia smiled._

_"Well, how about that?" she asked. "Me too." _

"_I'd give you a kidney," he said without a second thought, glancing at her as they stepped into the elevator._

"_Not if I gave you mine first."_

Present time:

"I thought I was gonna be the one that would donate to you," Olivia teased. "With the luck you have, I'm surprised I haven't done that yet." She quickly grew sincere again. "Thanks, El. I mean it."

"You don't need to thank me, Liv. You're my best friend." But why couldn't she be more than that?

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